The Shenandoah Zeps in Noble County, Ohio, a contender in national Best Mascots contest, sponsored by USA TODAY

Lisa Loos
The Daily JeffersonianPublished: February 22, 2013 1:00PM

SARAHSVILLE -- The USA TODAY High School Sports staff has chosen the Shenandoah Zeps as one of 255 of the nation's most unique high school mascots.

The Zeps are one of five schools in Ohio selected in the state round of the competition which starts Feb. 25 and runs through March 5.

Details are available at usatodayhss.com under the "Contests" menu/"Best Mascot" menu.

Shenandoah High School was named for the USS Shenandoah (ZR-1), a United States Navy rigid airship that was torn apart in a storm and crashed in Noble County on Sept. 2, 1925 -- during the fair.

Derived from the word Zeppelin, the Zeps nickname accompanied the dedication of Shenandoah High School in 1963. Shenandoah High School was a consolidation of four small high schools -- Summerfield (Golden Gophers), Belle Valley (Purple Riders), Sarahsville (Red Devils) and Batesville (Beavers), said school principal Justin Denius.

The Zeps mascot, given its connection to the military and the fact that many people lost their lives, is a significant piece of Noble County history, he said.

"We definitely have a neat mascot," said Denius.

The connection with the crash is visible both inside and outside the high school. Pieces of the wreckage are displayed in the foyer and office.

The school has been contacted by USA Today staff seeking information about the USS Shenandoah and the mascot.

Denius provided a picture of the USS Shenandoah, mentioned that the ship's commander Zachary Lansdowne also died in the crash, and the fact that a portion of the airship fell near Ava (there are two other Noble County crash sites).

"That's how it became ours," said Denius.

Denius also told the staff member about Shenandoah graduate and businessman Bryan Rayner. Rayner and his wife Theresa have spent their lives preserving artifacts and memorabilia related to the USS Shenandoah and placed most of it inside the Shenandoah Memorial Trailer which is parked outside Rayner's Garage in Ava. Bryan's family owned one of the farms on which the Shenandoah crashed.

Plus, said Denius, there is a special model-sized Zeppelin erected atop the flag pole in front of Shenandoah High School.

"The Zeppelin on top of the flagpole was donated to my grandmother by Hank Warner," said Denius. At the time Warner was the plant manager at Westinghouse, where Denius' grandmother, Jean Danford, worked.

He said Warner knew his grandmother was Zep and Warner gave her the metal Zeppelin along with a photograph of the crash that now hangs in his office.

Danford gave the Zeppelin to her son-in-law -- Denius' father -- Gerald Denius who graduated from Shenandoah in 1966 and returned to the school as a shop instructor in 1969. Gerald worked with then Principal Donald Ullman and they decided to mount it on the flagpole.

"Dad painted it and got it ready to go on the pole," said Denius. "And Dick Davis, the maintenance man here at the time, figured out how to get it up and he put it on the pole."

That was in 1973.

Plans are under way to take the flag pole down, paint it and repair the Zeppelin whose underbody is rusted out, said Denius.

While there is no official Zeps mascot costume, there have reportedly been a few Zeps fans, including John Blackburn and Gene Davis, who have placed model-size Zeppelins on top of hats or helmets and worn them to sporting events.

The 51 winners in the "Best Mascot" contest, one from each state and the District of Columbia, will advance to the second round, where they will be divided among six regions. The regional round will begin March 6 and end March 14.

The six winners then will compete from March 15-25 for the chance to be named the best high school sports mascot in America.

The national winner will receive $2,000 for its athletic department. Second place will be awarded $1,000, third ($500), fourth ($250) and fifth ($100).

Other Ohio schools that are contenders in the first round of the contest are the Crooksville Ceramics, Glenville Tarblooders, Norwalk Truckers and Philo Electrics.

"It's always exciting whenever you get into any competition and our school gets any notoriety," said Superintendent Dan Doyle.

Doyle said any resources for the classroom or for extracurriculars are always welcomed.